Adam Taylor/ABC
Ron Artest didn’t impress judges with his cha-cha-cha – and was eliminated on Tuesday’s show.
In like a lion, out like a …lamb?
On Tuesday night’s elimination show for “Dancing With the Stars,” an upbeat Ron Artest – or Metta World Peace, as he was referred to throughout the night – didn’t seem too downtrodden over being the first ouster of the season.
“All I want to know is, who’s coming with me?” he shouted after his elimination, turning to the remaining 11 contestants. “Peta was great, everybody give a round of applause for Peta. She was awesome!”
Artest snagged the low score of the night on Monday, pulling in a mere 14 points after an “atrocious” cha-cha-cha, according to judge Len Goodman.
“It was all sizzle and no sausage,” Len remarked after his performance Monday – clearly not in reference to the basketball player’s shimmery gold vest.
The NBA star was sidelined for his leaden feet over fellow limbo-dwellers Rob Kardashian and Nancy Grace, both of whom took home similarly low scores for their Viennese waltzes.
Kardashian, who vowed to beat sister Kim’s record of third eliminated on the show, looked genuinely excited to be safe, as did Grace, who revealed a sour face during Monday night’s criticisms.
The rest of the contestants basked in the good news, with Elisabetta especially surprised about being safe – she mouthed a “thank you thank you thank you” to the cameras.
And in one of the most endearing moments of the night, frontrunners Chynna Phillips and J.R. Martinez shared in a group hug with a nervous Lacey Schwimmer and Chaz Bono after the controversial couple learned they were safe.
If the rest of the season continues this way, with feel-good friendships trumping bitter rivalries, there look to be a lot more bear hugs to come.